Over the counter medication for gout

Doug Desjardins

Gout is a painful condition caused by the build-up of uric acid in the joints and commonly affects the big toe. The pain and inflammation of gout can usually be treated with over-the-counter medications and with several alternative medicines with natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Anti-Inflammatories

Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen are especially effective in treating gout, since they reduce both the pain and swelling.

Pain Relievers

Common analgesics like acetaminophen and aspirin are effective in relieving the pain associated with gout but are not as effective as anti-inflammatories because they do nothing to reduce swelling.

Vitamins and Supplements

Mid-level daily doses of Vitamin C (500mg) are believed to help reduce the level of uric acid in the blood and help prevent gout attacks. The supplement bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help relieve the pain and swelling of gout.

Roots

You can buy ginger root at most health food stores. It's been used for centuries in Asia as a natural anti-inflammatory to treat a variety of conditions, including arthritis and gout.

Fruit

Black cherries contain a natural anti-inflammatory that was discovered by accident in 1950 by Dr. Ludwig Blau, who noticed that his gout pain subsided when he ate cherries. You can buy black cherry juice at most health food stores.

Note: Depending on which text editor you're pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site name.

About the Author

Doug Desjardins is a journalist and research analyst. He has worked for more than a half-dozen newspapers, magazines and websites and hiswork has appeared in a number of publications including the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Magazine.